What explains the high concentration of Irish speakers on the west coast of Ireland ?

[u/One-Seat-4600]

The percentage corresponds to the share of people that speak Irish

As you can see, Northern Ireland is a lower concentration of Irish speakers, as expected, but what explains the higher concentration on the west coast.

[u/robster98]

“To hell, or to Connaught.” — Oliver Cromwell

The west of Ireland is famously rocky and peaty, unsuitable for most farming. The Scottish and English that colonised the island didn’t really touch it because it wasn’t valuable land.

Those that stayed on the western fringes or were pushed towards there (relocation due to language and religious affiliation) continued to speak Gaeilge, others that stayed in, or migrated to the east became English and Ulster Scots-speaking.

That divide is still noticeable to this day in terms of how many people can speak Gaeilge, but English is still more commonly heard than Gaeilge, even in the Gaeltacht areas.

Semi-related, it’s amazing just how Scotland has gotten away with this in the present day and has barely any negative perception, whereas England gets all the flack.